Indian Analysis of Shakespeare's Authorship

With K.S. Vijay Elangova

In this section

What about the Indian perspective of the Shakespeare authorship conspiracy theory?

Transcript

Elangova: I come from a remote part of India, and the first book I ever read (at the age of 13) was Shakespeare in old
spelling. I have loved Shakespeare all my life, and I remember always wanting to visit his birthplace. Therefore,
I do not understand where this conspiracy theory comes from. Genius can come from humble origins. Ben
Jonson’s father was a brick-layer.

Many of our Indian writers came from poor backgrounds—perhaps with
a humble heart their inspiration was greater. Subramania Bharethi was from a poor family, but was able to
impress the king with his poetry. He knew fourteen languages, including French and English. He was inspired
by Shakespeare, Shelley, Byron, and Keats. In India we are aware of all these conspiracy theories, but we do
not support them ever. We have a high respect for our two-thousand year old written history.

Shakespeare’s
contemporaries did not doubt his authorship or the great minds for 300 years. I am concerned that today’s
younger generation should not be misled by this insubstantial, inconsequential and ridiculous theory. We all
love Shakespeare from Stratford.

K.S. Vijay Elangova

K. S. Vijay Elanqova is a journalist for The Hindu, a writer and a poet.

Get involved

Useful

Follow us

Sharing Shakespeare with the World

We rely on the support of visitors, donors, Friends and volunteers to help inspire future generations through Shakespeare's works, life and times.

The independent charity that cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites in Stratford-upon-Avon, and promotes the enjoyment and understanding of his works, life and times all over the world. Celebrating Shakespeare is at the heart of everything we do.